Teresa Perales facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Teresa Perales

Personal information
Nationality	Spain
Born	(1975-12-29) 29 December 1975 (age 49) Zaragoza, Spain
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Club	CD Asser: Spain
Medal record Women's para swimming Representing  Spain Paralympic Games Gold 2004 Athens 100 m freestyle Gold 2004 Athens 50 m butterfly Gold 2008 Beijing 50 m freestyle Gold 2008 Beijing 100 m freestyle Gold 2008 Beijing 200 m freestyle Gold 2012 London 100 m freestyle Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro 50 m backstroke Silver 2000 Sydney 50 m butterfly Silver 2004 Athens 4x50 m relay Silver 2008 Beijing 50 m backstroke Silver 2012 London 50 m freestyle Silver 2012 London 200 m freestyle Silver 2012 London 50 m butterfly Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro 200 m freestyle Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro 200 m medley Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro 100 m freestyle Silver 2020 Tokyo 50 m backstroke Bronze 2000 Sydney 50 m freestyle Bronze 2000 Sydney 100 m freestyle Bronze 2000 Sydney 200 m freestyle Bronze 2000 Sydney 50 m backstroke Bronze 2004 Athens 50 m freestyle Bronze 2004 Athens 50 m backstroke Bronze 2004 Athens 100 m breaststroke Bronze 2008 Beijing 100 m breaststroke Bronze 2012 London 100 m breaststroke Bronze 2012 London 200 m medley Bronze 2024 Paris 50 m backstroke S2 World Championships Gold 2015 Glasgow 50 m freestyle S5 Silver 2015 Glasgow 200 m butterfly S5 Silver 2015 Glasgow 50 m freestyle S5 Bronze 2015 Glasgow 200 m freestyle S5 Bronze 2015 Glasgow 200 m medley SM5 European Championships Gold 2014 Eindhoven 50 m freestyle S5 Gold 2014 Eindhoven 50 m backstroke S5 Gold 2014 Eindhoven 100 m freestyle S5 Gold 2014 Eindhoven 4x50 m mixed freestyle relay 20pts Gold 2016 Funchal 100 m freestyle S5 Gold 2016 Funchal 50 m backstroke S5 Gold 2016 Funchal 100m freestyle relay 34pts Silver 2014 Eindhoven 100 m freestyle relay 34pts Silver 2016 Funchal 200 m freestyle S5 Silver 2016 Funchal 50 m butterfly S5 Bronze 2016 Funchal 200m medley SM5 Bronze 2016 Funchal Mixed 50m medley relay 20pts

Teresa Perales Fernández (born December 29, 1975) is an amazing Spanish swimmer. She has won an incredible 28 Paralympic medals! This makes her the most successful Spanish Paralympian ever. She has competed in many Paralympic Games, from Sydney 2000 to Paris 2024. She even holds a Paralympic record in the women's 100m freestyle (S2) from the 2024 Games.

When Teresa was 19, she was diagnosed with a condition called neuropathy. This meant she lost the use of her legs over three months. But this didn't stop her! She discovered swimming and found a new path. Besides being a swimmer, Teresa has also been involved in politics, teaching, and inspiring others. She even wrote a book about her life. Teresa is a true example of strength and determination.

She started swimming at 19 and joined a sports club for people with disabilities a year later. She quickly became a top swimmer, winning medals at national, European, and World Championships. She has won at least one medal in every major competition she has entered. After the 2008 Games, she took a break to have her son. But she returned to swimming in 2011 and continued her amazing career.

Because of her incredible achievements, Teresa has received many important awards. These include the Gran Cruz del Mérito Deportivo, which is a very high honor in Spain. She has also been named Woman of the Year by a Spanish magazine.

Teresa's Early Life & Family

Teresa Perales was born in Zaragoza, Spain, on December 29, 1975. She has a younger brother. When she was 15, her father passed away, and her mother raised them.

At 19, Teresa developed neuropathy, a condition that affected her nerves. She lost feeling and strength in her legs over three months. Doctors weren't sure how to treat it at first. When she first left the hospital in a wheelchair, she felt a bit shy. Before this, she was very active and practiced karate. The last time she walked without help was on May 10, 1995.

Teresa studied Physiotherapy at the Universidad de Zaragoza. She is married to Mariano Menor, a journalist she met at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics. They got married in 2004 after the Athens Paralympics. She even stood up from her wheelchair to say her vows! They had a son after the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.

Teresa's Other Work

Besides swimming, Teresa has done many other things. She was involved in politics for a few years with the Aragonese Party. She served as a Deputy in the Cortes de Aragón from 2003 to 2006. Even though she doesn't plan to return to politics, she was symbolically on the ballot in 2011.

In 2007, Teresa and her husband wrote a book about her life called Mi Vida Sobre Ruedas (My Life on Wheels). She has also worked as a teacher and a motivational speaker. She taught at the Universidad de Zaragoza. Teresa has supported many good causes, like Doctors Without Borders, which helps people in need around the world. She also supports organizations that help feed the hungry and assist women with disabilities.

Teresa's Swimming Career

Teresa Perales in Zaragoza in January 2013

Teresa Perales is an amazing Paralympic swimmer. She is part of the CD Asser: Spain club. She is known as the most decorated Spanish Paralympian ever! Her coach, Angelo Santamaria, has worked with her since 2000. When she trains, Teresa can spend up to six hours a day in the pool and gym. Her favorite swimming style is the 50-meter butterfly.

Teresa started swimming by chance when she was 19. She loved the feeling of being weightless in the water. She joined a sports club for people with disabilities in Zaragoza.

In 1997, Teresa won her first national swimming championship. A year later, she made her international debut at the World Championships. She won a bronze medal there. At the 1999 European Championship, she won three bronze and three silver medals. She kept improving, winning even more medals at the 2001 European Championships.

In 2007, she set new world records in the 100 and 200-meter freestyle events at a British championship. By 2008, she had won 14 medals at European Championships. She also won three gold medals at the French Swimming Championships.

After the 2008 Paralympics, Teresa took a break to have her son. She returned to swimming in April 2011. Her first competition back was the European Championship in Berlin. There, she won a gold, four silver, and three bronze medals! Her great performance helped Spain finish third in the medal count.

World Championships Medals

Teresa first competed for Spain at the IPC World Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1998. She won a bronze medal in the 50-meter freestyle. At the 2002 World Championships in Mar del Plata, Argentina, she won five silver and two bronze medals. In 2006, at the World Swimming Championship in Durban, South Africa, she added one silver and two bronze medals.

World Championship Results

Paralympic Games Achievements

Teresa has competed in many Paralympic Games: 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, 2016 Rio, 2020 Tokyo, and 2024 Paris.

At the 2000 Sydney Games, she won her first Paralympic medals: four bronze and one silver. She was just getting started!

In 2004, at the Athens Games, Teresa, then 27, won her first two gold medals! She also earned three bronze and one silver medal. She made it to the finals in every event. After these Games, some rivals thought she might retire, but Teresa said she would keep swimming.

Teresa won three more gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, along with a silver and a bronze. She even set a new world record in the 50-meter freestyle! Her first gold medal in Beijing was also the first for Spain at those Games. By the end of the 2008 Games, she had 16 Paralympic medals in total.

After the 2008 Games, Teresa was chosen by her fellow athletes to represent them on the International Paralympic Committee Council. She was re-elected after the 2012 Games.

Before the 2012 London Games, Teresa was chosen to carry Spain's flag during the opening ceremony. She received a lot of media attention for her amazing performance in London. She won one gold, three silver, and two bronze medals. She medaled in all six individual events she entered! After winning gold in the 100-meter Freestyle, she gave her medal to her two-year-old son. Spain's Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, even sent her a telegram to congratulate her. By the end of the London Paralympics, she had an incredible 22 Paralympic medals! Her six medals in one Games tied Michael Phelps' record for the most won by an Olympian or Paralympian at a single Games.

Teresa continued her incredible journey, competing in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 Summer Paralympics. She won at least one medal in each of these Games. In Paris 2024, she broke the record and became the new Paralympic record holder in the women's 100m freestyle (S2).

Paralympic Games Results

Awards and Special Recognition

Teresa Perales has received many important awards for her incredible achievements. She was given the Gran Cruz del Mérito Deportivo. This is Spain's highest honor for a sportsperson. She was the first Spanish Paralympian to receive it! She also has the Medalla de Oro de la Real Orden del Mérito Deportivo.

In 2008, she was named the IPC Athlete of the Month. She was also honored as a "Beloved Daughter" of her hometown, Zaragoza. In 2011, Teresa was one of five Spanish athletes with disabilities featured in a documentary called La Teoría del Espiralismo.

In 2012, a sports press association named her the best female athlete from Aragon. Readers of the newspaper Marca voted her the second-best Spanish athlete of the year. She was also honored at the 2012 Fiestas del Pilar festival. The Spanish women's magazine Mujer hoy named her Woman of the Year, an award chosen by its readers.

In 2013, she received the Grand Cross in the Royal Order of Sporting Merit. In 2021, she was awarded the prestigious Princess of Asturias Award for sports.

Since 2022, Teresa has been a Global Advisor for the ACE Global Leaders of Excellence Network. This group connects successful leaders worldwide to share knowledge and help others grow.

Images for kids

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  Teresa Perales, a Spanish Paralympic swimmer

As of 2013^[update], she lives in Zaragoza.

See also

In Spanish: Teresa Perales para niños